Yamaha Pro Bobby Lane took home a wire-to-wire first-place finish at the first Bass Pro Shops® Bassmaster® Eastern Open on Saturday, Feb. 3 with a three-day total of 60 pounds. For the Lakeland, Fla. angler, the victory represents a hometown win long in the making.

“From start to finish, this has been amazing,” said Lane, who notched his first win since winning a 2009 Elite Series event on Kentucky Lake. “It was my time to catch a big sack. I’ve been so close before.

“To have grown up on Lake Kissimmee and Cypress, Hatchineha and Toho and to have my family here, it means the world to me. Man, this has been a long time coming.”

After buoying his performance with a massive Thursday limit of 31 pounds, 7 ounces, Lane entered Friday with a ten 1/2-pound lead. Adding 10-9 pushed him to 42 even, with a 12-pound lead going into the final round. Saturday saw Lane slam the door shut by nabbing his third limit, this one totaling 18 pounds and leaving him with a 12-5 winning margin.

Thursday and Friday saw Lane locking down to Lake Kissimmee, where his first-round catch included a 9-pounder and an 8-7. Both of these fish qualified for Florida’s Trophy Catch program, which recognizes photo release largemouth bass of 8 pounds or more.

With the Kissimmee Chain unsettled by fluctuating temperatures before the tournament, plus a cold front arriving the afternoon on Friday, Lane mostly targeted hydrilla in two-to-four feet. The dense habitat allowed fish to move in and out with changing weather while remaining in the same general area.

Lane also won the Power-Pole® Captain’s Cash Award of $500 for being the highest-placing angler who is registered and eligible and uses a client-approved product on his boat.

Yamaha Marine products are marketed throughout the United States and around the world. Yamaha Marine Group, based in Kennesaw, Ga., supports its 2,000 U.S. dealers and boat builders with marketing, training, and parts for Yamaha’s full line of products and strives to be the industry leader in reliability, technology, and customer service. Yamaha Marine is the only outboard brand to have earned NMMA®’s C.S.I. Customer Satisfaction Index award every year since its inception. Visit www.yamahaoutboards.com.

This document contains many of Yamaha’s valuable trademarks. It may also contain trademarks belonging to other companies. Any references to other companies or their products are for identification purposes only and are not intended to be an endorsement.

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